Francis Scott Key
Lawyer / Poet / Composer
Childhood and Eary Life (Parker and Jonah)
Francis Scott Key was born in Maryland on August 1, 1779. He was a smart bo His Dad (John Ross Key) served in the Revolutionary War. He oftn wrote poems for his friends and family. He also had a deep faith in God. He was patriotic and loved his country. He went to college and became a lawyer. He got married and moved to Washington, DC where he and his wife had 11 kids.
About Francis Scott Key
Writing the Star Spangled Banner (Parker)
In 1812 the US and Britain went to war. It was called the War of 1812. TheBritish burned the White House. Two happy British soldiers were wandering around he Dr. Beanes tried to get them arrested. One escaped and told the other British soldiers to gt Dr. Beanes.
The British put Dr. Beanes on a ship and two men (Francis Scott Key ad John Skinner) had to save Dr. Beanes. They go on the ship andthe British freed Dr. Beanes but the two me were held on the small boat they arrived on and had to stay there. They watched the bombing over the night an that is where Francis Scott Key wrote his poem. The poem was called The Defence of Fort McHenry. Those words later became The Star Spangled Banner.
Other Important Works (Parker)
Francis Scott Key is not famous for other songs. He just enjoyed writing poems for friends and family.
After Star Spangled Banner (Jonah)
After the war, Francis went back to Washington and was a lawyer again. He became the district attorney for the District of Columbia in 1833. He died on January 11, 1843, when he was 63 years old, because he got sick with pleurisy. “The Star Spangled Banner” stayed popular with Americans, even though some people thought the lyrics were hard to sing and violent.
Type of Music (Jonah)
The melody for “The Star Spangled Banner” was from a popular song called “To Anacreon in Heaven”. The tune for “To Anacreon in Heaven” was written in 1775 by John Stafford Smith. It was very common at that time to use melodies from popular songs for new songs. John Stafford Smith played the organ and was a composer who lived in London.
